This is Us- Season four

[Twilight Sparkle]

I think Randall and Beth will handle the Deja/Malik thing well. They are smart, reasonable people who happen to also be great parents. I think they will certainly respect Malik for taking responsibility for his child when they hear the whole story, but that doesn't mean they will be enthused about Deja dating him. I could see them compromising and setting boundaries in place that would allow Deja and Malik to build a relationship but also provide Beth and Randall with as much peace of mind as one can have with a teenager interested in an older, more experienced teen. Group events only until Deja is older, hanging out at the Pearson home (possibly Malik's home, too, after meeting his parents) with parents present, etc. Hopefully they have a safer s-- chat with both of them, too, since that obviously didn't work out for Malik the last time. I know I would because even with precautions in place to lessen the possibility of an opportunity presenting itself, you can never be certain it won't happen. If she gets the chance to see for herself the work involved in caring for an infant, though, I would not be surprised if Deja decides she's not ready for that.

Regardless of what steps Beth and Randall take, any writer has to have in the back of his or her mind that no matter how many positives Malik has going for him (and they're not ALL positive - he was willing to take on a shady side business, after all - certainly shows a lack of mature reasoning), Deja has to be the Pearsons' top priority. I just hope the writers don't surprise me and allow this situation to push Deja away from her new family.

 

[kimblebee]

I agree. As a parent of a 21 and 25 year old I learned that very early on. I would personally not want to have my 15 year old dd or ds dating someone two grades higher with a child. This is a battle I would not have a problem standing my ground on but to each their own.

I was 100% with you, until I wasn’t lol

My daughter was 14 when she started hanging out with a boy. I had no problem with it until I found out that he was 16 almost 17. That caught my attention. I had reservations about it...until I met him. He was, and still is, a big kid. She turned 15 three weeks after he turned 17 so they mostly just had a two year difference. They have now been together for almost three and a half years. I’m glad I gave him a chance.

If he would have shown up in a car with the music blaring and dressed in a suit, I would have put the brakes on it. But, since he was still a big kid I was ok with them hanging out.

 

[js]

I was 100% with you, until I wasn’t lol

My daughter was 14 when she started hanging out with a boy. I had no problem with it until I found out that he was 16 almost 17. That caught my attention. I had reservations about it...until I met him. He was, and still is, a big kid. She turned 15 three weeks after he turned 17 so they mostly just had a two year difference. They have now been together for almost three and a half years. I’m glad I gave him a chance.

mid he would have shown up in a car with the music blaring and dressed in a suit, I would have put the breaks on it. But, since he was still a big kid I was ok with them hanging out.

LOL

It's not just the age. I don't have problem with appropriate ages. I was 15 when I met my dh (I'm now 52). He was 17 almost 18. My sister is married to a man 10 years older than she is. However, if I was 15 (or my dd was 15) and met a boy 15, 16, 17 that had a child (or if my ds met a girl at that age with a child), that is where I draw the line. I'm sure some on here have had it happen in real life and that is great but for me, I do not want my child at 14, 15, 16 dating someone with a child and that would be my hill to die on that day LOL

However, thank goodness, this isn't about you or me LOL We can leave that to Randall and Beth for next week

 

[kimblebee]

LOL

It's not just the age. I don't have problem with appropriate ages. I was 15 when I met my dh (I'm now 52). He was 17 almost 18. My sister is married to a man 10 years older than she is. However, if I was 15 (or my dd was 15) and met a boy 15, 16, 17 that had a child (or if my ds met a girl at that age with a child), that is where I draw the line. I'm sure some on here have had it happen in real life and that is great but for me, I do not want my child at 14, 15, 16 dating someone with a child and that would be my hill to die on that day LOL

However, thank goodness, this isn't about you or me LOL We can leave that to Randall and Beth for next week

You’re right. I would have had a problem with her dating anyone with a kid at that age.

 

[Sandeep1]

Absolutely would respect him and like him A Lot, but that's very different than wanting my teen daughter, let alone freshman 14 year old daughter involved in that situation.

Deja has basically been on her own for most of her life. I'm sure she appreciates the Pearsons taking her in but she will put her foot down if she thinks they are being too overbearing. We saw it with the bus and we will see it again with Malik. Maybe one day Randall will learn that Deja makes good choices and they should trust her.

 

[PollyannaMom]

You’re right. I would have had a problem with her dating anyone with a kid at that age.

It definitely changes the options available to her if they stay together. (But I actually think she realizes that on her own.)

The likelihood that they would stay together, though, is probably not great at that age. And there's always the chance that forbidding the relationship would push them together.

I'm thinking R&B are going to have to have to trust that Deja knows what she wants out of life, and that time spent with a teen parent will only strengthen her resolve not to put herself down the same difficult path.

 

[Twilight Sparkle]

Good article covering some of the things we've been chatting about lately here on this thread:

https://ew.com/tv/2019/10/15/this-is-us-producers-kevin-nicky-flip-a-coin/

 

[Squirlz]

Good article covering some of the things we've been chatting about lately here on this thread:

https://ew.com/tv/2019/10/15/this-is-us-producers-kevin-nicky-flip-a-coin/

Interesting stuff! We just caught up on the last two episodes after a two week vacation and we're loving it.

 

[AustinTink]

Go Rebecca! That was a good take down in the kitchen.

 

[AustinTink]

It's the night of the moms. Beth's talk with Tess and Randall was spot on. Rebecca's speech at the dinner table was great, too.

 

[DisLiss]

I have a very small bone to pick about last week's episode, when Kevin rode his bike to school to sign Randall's yellow slip.

No one was wearing a bike helmet in the early 90's.

Actually, in PA, laws went into effect about kids wearing helmets somewhere in the late 80s, I think. Or at least "guidelines" were given. I was living in PA at that time and I specifically remember hearing that they were considering the law as an older teen and being appalled by the idea of crushing my big hair-sprayed hair with an "ugly" helmet. By and large most kids I knew were not wearing them when word of it first came out, but then one kid in our neighborhood was taken by ambulance after a nasty fall off a bike, and then helmets started popping up in our neighborhood and I told my mom there was no way *I* was going to wear one. Ah----the joy of parenting a near "adult".

So, anyway, if the law really did go into effect at that point, then I think the Pearsons seem like the type who would have followed it and bought helmets for the kids. And while perhaps Kevin wouldn't be first to make sure he had his, maybe knowing he was riding to a school made him think twice about it skipping it.

 

[AustinTink]

Oh no. There's a dark backstory for Kate and Mark ahead. We may learn a whole lot more about why Kate is the way she is.

 

[DisneyLover1217]

You know I was wondering if Kate got heavy because of this boyfriend she has in this episode. At that point she is thin, probably for the first time in her life and I was thinking something traumatic must have happened to make her gain so much weight. Since it didn't happen when Jack died, I started to think maybe it was a boyfriend and not with her looking at his picture the way she did, I have a feeling he was not a great guy to her.

 

[DisLiss]

Edited to add: I see my husband without clothes multiple times a day. Whether I want to or not, lol. How did Kate not see Toby without his clothes or at least snuggle up next to him for months? It just seems so off, like there is already a disconnect. You can't blame pregnancy or a newborn on that. If you still sleep in the same bed or even hug one another daily, it would be obvious.

Wasn't the baby in the NICU for several months? That could really mess up everything about their regular routine. And recovering from a c-section isn't always a walk in the park, either, and it may be worse for someone of Kate's size, perhaps? I'm not sure. But either way, things were rough for them for the first months after Jack was born, so I'd say anything was possible.

 

[AustinTink]

You know I was wondering if Kate got heavy because of this boyfriend she has in this episode. At that point she is thin, probably for the first time in her life and I was thinking something traumatic must have happened to make her gain so much weight. Since it didn't happen when Jack died, I started to think maybe it was a boyfriend and not with her looking at his picture the way she did, I have a feeling he was not a great guy to her.

We were all so happy when she found someone and now it's likely he's a creep. This is sad.

 

[Mizzoufan]

One of my favorite episode of all times. Always so good to see to William!!!

 

[Mizzoufan]

Wanted to add this episode made me a fan of Beth.

 

[mellvswdw1]

Wow....when I can’t think they can really outdo themselves the writers do this amazing gut wrenching thought producing show. The vulnerability of Kate at the end of the show and the preview for next week is raw. I so loved Nicky opening up with the ice cream. Another amazing show!

 

[AustinTink]

The vulnerability of Kate at the end of the show and the preview for next week is raw.

I'm so glad the writers did this. Viewers have been raining down on Kate for some time, myself included. It's time to give us some context.

 

[Dentam]

Well, I didn't watch it last night so watched it this morning before work. What was I thinking? Now I'm all puffy eyed. Amazing episode in so many ways.